


the sound of ripples

by hariboo



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-28
Updated: 2011-10-28
Packaged: 2017-10-26 10:57:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/282264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hariboo/pseuds/hariboo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Artemis and Kaldur go for a swim.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the sound of ripples

**Author's Note:**

> this is inspired completely by [pheonee's excellent art](http://pheonee.tumblr.com/post/11886433099) and well, [this](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lt47ufJUtU1qatzuvo1_500.gif) bc and I quote, "we'll make our own fun" which clearly means they'll be making naked fun later.

"You know, I think I'm starting to develop an aversion to water," she says, sliding her fingers under the beach bag's strap where it's digging into her shoulder. The sun is high in the sky and it's rays make her squint even with her sunglasses on. It's a clear sky, mostly. A few sparse clumps of clouds drifting across the blue and the glare of the sun on the water is harsh. As a gull flies overhead, Artemis quietly thanks the private school system and their habit of one long weekend a month. Not that Gotham North didn't give them days off, but the Academy makes like a big deal about the days it gives them off, complete with official sounding titles and everything, but she's not complaining; she's got an extra day off and, man, does she needs it.

It's been practically mission after mission these last three weeks and despite it being exactly what she signed up for, three weekends with barely four hours of sleep can get to a girl. Not to mention she's almost drowned in about three of the missions. That's either some bad luck or a statistic oddity. She told Robin last time she saw him that she thinks she's getting archery elbow, which when coupled with the fact she's out running and fighting the bad guys of the underworld, it's worse than tennis elbow -- a whole lot worse. He had nodded seriously and said that Wally could probably do the math as he helped M'gann wrap up her joint. She's even sporting a nice bruise on her shoulder from where Red Volcano knocked her down in the last mission.

If she didn't see a Red ever again it would be too soon.

Except Red Tornado, of course.

Yeah, she--they _all_ needed a weekend off.

She shifts the bag's strap again, turning to her companion as they pass the outer perimeter of the Moutian. "Today I'm just gonna lounge on the beach and maybe take nap. Or read my books for school. We'll see how that goes."

Kaldur nods and his lips do that cute half smile thing they do. "If you so wish, but I have to say that, personally, I find the water very soothing." He's completely deadpan, but his eye twinkle a bit and Artemis laughs.

"Of course you do! You're like made for the water. Us land-dwellers drown!" She moves to nudge him on the arm, and winces as her bag hits the bruise on her shoulder. Kaldur does not miss it. He reaches out smoothly and slides the bag from her shoulder. His finger brush the skin her tank top leaves uncovered.

Artemis feels the heat of the day increase.

"Thanks," she mumbles, rolling her shoulder. She thinks her bright red canvas bag looks a little out of place on his shoulders but good. Red is good colour on him.

"You're welcome," he says. "Do you still have much discomfort in your shoulder?"

He leads them to a small cove near the mountain. She knows this is the cove he surfaces from when he comes back for Poseidonis. It's the cove the team hangs out in on their days off that they spend together and it's warm enough. She only been her once before. She grins at the memory. M'gann had made an picnic and then they had played one of the more intense beach volleyball games ever -- she will never underestimate Wally or Robin's competitive streaks ever again -- and it had been a good day.

Today, it's only Kaldur and herself. The rest have school and Robin doesn't seem get days off from Batman so he's back in Gotham according to Kaldur.

She smiles up at him. "Only a little. Everything mostly healed. Just a little tender."

"Then I guess it is a good thing that we have a free weekend." He drops the bag down and pulls out her towel. Artemis watches a his arms flex as he shakes it out, dropping it on the sand. He sets her back down next to it.

"Yeah, trust me. I'm all about having some time off. I almost didn't come to the mountain and slept in." She pulls her shorts and shirt off and drops down to her towel. Shoves her clothes in her bag and digs out her sunscreen. For a beat she considers taking out the history book she packed thinking it would feel less like homework if she did it on the beach, but takes out her music player instead.

"I am glad you came then." Kaldur settles next to her. His webbed feet sink into the sand and wiggles them a little. She thinks it's cute. He's not wearing his uniform's leggings but regular swim shorts so his legs are mostly uncovered. He has a scar on one of his calves shaped like crescent and she fingers one of her own scars. It curves around on her knee and drifts a little up the back of her thigh.

Yeah, they needed a day off.

She glances over at him, tipping her sunglasses down her nose a little. "M'gann might have sent me a message about feeling bad ditching you every day they're in school. How come you didn't go back home?"

He laughs, leans back on his elbows. "It is fine. I have Connor's pets and Captain Marvel to keep me company most days, and Red Tornado will be coming back full time once his repairs are done. She need not worry you."

Artemis winks. "I'll never say no to a day at the beach. So, how is Red Tornado? I didn't see much of him or the Cap when I came in."

He didn't answer her question, she notices, but lets it go.

"He is currently with League going over some of his repairs. They are going well, according to Black Canary. Captain Marvel doesn't come much on weekdays."

"So you were all alone," she says, frowning.

"I do not mind it and someone needs to stay on base in case of an emergency." Kaldur smiles and stares out to sea a little wistfully. He doesn't sound lonely though.

Artemis follows his stare. Her earphones are twisted in her hands and she pulls one end free tipping her chin forward.

"You know you can go and swim. It won't hut my feelings."

Kaldur turns to face her and his lips curl faintly. "Are you sure you do not care for swim yourself? If you are still worried about the water I would make sure you would not drown. I hear the fourth time is a charm."

He's a big tease when he wants to be, isn't he?

With an exaggerated shake of her head and roll of her eyes, Artemis waves him forward. "Yeah, yeah, it's cool, me and water are taking break for now." She follows the line of his back as he stands and starts walking towards the edge of the water. His upper back is bare and her eyes follow the dark lines of his tattoos at the curve of his shoulders.

She swallows.

"Maybe later!"

He looks back to her and nods before diving in.

Blowing out a breath, she lays back on her towel, putting her music player next to her on the towel, and folds her arms under her head.

 _Damn son._

She closes her eyes under her sunglasses.

  
Kaldur swims for the length of one whole playlist, never surfacing. It begins to instinctually worry her but then she remembers: gills, underwater kingdom, and Kaldur is literally at home in the water. She changes playlists.

When he does comes up they share a small lunch made up of sandwiches and cookies that Artemis grabbed from M'gann's polka dot cookie jar. Her friend's snickerdoodles are pretty out of this world amazing. No pun intended. As they sit and talk Kaldur answers the questions she has on Poseidonis and life under the ocean. When he speaks of his home town of Shayeris she feels the warmth he still has towards it in every word. She appreciates how he doesn't ask her too much about her own home life, never pushing too far or making her feel awkward for not sharing as much he is. She tells him a little about her mom though, says a couple words in Vietnamese too.

They joke who would be the fastest swimmer, him or Wally -- Kaldur hands down -- and when he teases her how many more mission it will be before she, or the team, almost drowns again she flicks sand at him and he grins. He doesn't smile as openly as M'gann or Wally or even Robin, and Artemis thinks it's a shame because it's a great one.

"Are you up for that swim now? Or is your boycott of the water still in place?" Kaldur asks, standing, not even bothering to brush the sand of his legs. She looks to the sea. The way the sun glints of the water makes it look like a painting and it is really much hotter than it was two hours go. Her currently tense relationship with water aside she does enjoy swimming. Plus, she's got an Atlantean with her. It's not like she's in the danger of drowning unless he let her and Kaldur's not the type to leave a teammate behind.

Unless he found out who her father and sister were and then--

Nope, not focusing on that now, Artemis, she tells herself.

That is a long awkward conversion she'll have with the team in the future. The far future if she can help it.

She grins and stands. Her sunglasses drop to the towel. "Fine, but only because I'm deciding to be the bigger person here. Water doesn't deserve my apology."

He nods solemnly, walking towards the water, like he's not making fun at her at all, but she sees the quirk of his lips.

The water is a little on the cool side, which is a shock as much as it's refreshing, and she feels the goosebumps rise on her body, moving from her calves upwards, like a wave. Her nipples suddenly feel very _there_ and she crosses one arm across her chest, rubs at her shoulder. She looks a at Kaldur but he's not even looking at her. His focus is on the horizon. When she finally steps up to where he is the water is well past her hips and her body has gotten used to temperature. Her arm drops to her side. He smiles over at her and maybe it's because she's spent enough time with him, with the team, that even without M'gann around to start their telepathic link they can read each other so easily. Whatever the reason she knows what he's about to do as his shoulder tense just a fraction.

They dive into the water at the same time.

Kaldur's fast, she knows, but she's not slow. They swim together at a good pace until she needs to go back up to take a breath. She surfaces and pushes the few loose strands from her face. Instead of diving back under she shifts onto her back she lets her body be held by the water. The clouds pass by slowly. Artemis drifts. Kaldur surfaces a about ten minutes later just by her shoulders.

"You have a very good form," he says, floating idly next to her.

Artemis turns her head and straightens in the water. "Why do I hear the words _for an amateur_ in that sentence?"

"Even for an Atlantean your form is more than adequate."

"Adequate?"

He chuckles. "Excellent for a land-dweller."

She laughs, "That's all I wanted to hear. So, where did you swim to?" She swims a few lengths from him and turns back. Her legs kick under her and she watches as the sun shines of the water drops on his cheekbones and shoulders.

"Just to the edge of the marina. Not too far."

That's about five miles. Not too far, her butt.

"Hmm," she eyes his gills and bites her lips. "So all Atlanteans can talk and breath underwater just like you do here, right?"

"Yes."

"What does it sound like?"

His eyes widen and suddenly the skin on her cheeks feels tight. Artemis forces herself not to flush in embarrassment at his reaction.

Kaldur's throat works. His gill flutter a little.

Just as she about to open her mouth and take back her question he asks his own.

"You would like to hear Atlantean?"

"Yeah, sure. I mean, unless it's like a taboo for us land-dwellers to hear it." The movement of her sweeping arms creates ripples in the water and she watches at they meet the ripples Kaldur makes as he swims closer.

"It is not taboo. I just... I have never spoke Atlantean to someone not from the kingdom is all."

She thinks it's best not to mention his mumbling in Bialya when he was unconscious in case it embarrasses him.

He looks out to the distance. There's a water drop that travels down his neck and drips into the ocean. Artemis as a feeling that there would be no difference between the taste of his skin and water and cuts off that thought _right there_.

"I believe it sounds very different when not spoken under the water." Kaldur faces her and she's not sure he's blushing, but the tone of his voice sounds like a blush, unintentionally soft.

She grins, wide and bright, "Like in Harry Potter?"

He quirks his brow.

"You know like with the egg. He opens it above water and it's screechy but under the water it's very oh um melodic? Or that not like it at all and I just insulted your entire language?" She bites her lips, wants to dunk her head under the water, and _let_ herself drown, because wow yeah, that was a Harry Potter mermaid reference to a guy who actually lives under the sea. If her house didn't already have pile of shame upon it she'd be calling up on some right now.

But Kaldur smiles. "No, not quite like that. But I believe the way sound is carried through the water does change the tone. Especially when speaking outside the city. This water doesn't have the enchantment that cover the city that allow us to live there. It is not a language that was meant for the surface."

"Oh, okay." Artemis nods. Makes sense.

"Would you still like to hear it?" he asks.

"Yeah, sure, if you want."

He swims closer and touches her brow. "It would be better underwater."

"Oh, right, of course! Let's go." she says, winks, and dives back under. He follows her.

Under the water Kaldur seems closer than before and they let themselves sink for a few seconds. She taps her ears and he smiles.

She's no expert but Atlanteans probably have a specific physiology that makes them able hear better underwater too, because while the sounds of the words are understandable they are slightly muffled to her. The words he says are unfamiliar and feel heavy and long in her ears. It's nothing Vietnamese or English or any other language she knows. It's _nothing_ like the Harry Potter mermaids. It's awesome.

Her grin is wide and she gives him a thumbs up before she swims back up to the surface. She breaks the surface grinning and laughing.

"That was awesome!" she says when he breaks through the water right after. "It sounds like I don't know actually. Pretty awesome. What did you say?"

His smile is soft. "I said, _hello, Artemis_."

She laughs. "Good choice there."

"It felt appropriate."

"So how do I say 'hello, Kaldur' back to you?"

His face opens with quiet surprise and shock. Artemis gives herself a metal high five.

"It's only polite. I kinda left you hanging down there."

He seems to considers her offer and nods. He swims closer and lowers his voice as he says something else in Atlantean. He was right. It does sound different on the surface. Slower, choppier, and _ancient_. As he says the words that she hopes mean 'hello, Kaldur' her ribs feel too closely pressed against her skin, and as wide as the cove is her focus is on the few inches of water separating them. The ripples they make meet and merge and move to the other person. Water laps against her chest.

She repeats the words slowly, feeling their form on her lips and practices a couple of times before Kaldur gives his seal of approval.

"Very good," he says quietly, still so very close to her. "You sound almost Atlantean."

"You're too nice. I probably sound like a three year old Atlantean kid learning the big words."

He grins, "A four year old at most."

She sticks her tongue out at him and then licks her lips when she sees his eyes flick down to her mouth. When he meets her gaze again they hold it for a beat as she takes a deep breath, then they nod at the same time again, and dive under.

To be honest she's a little worried about swallowing water when she speaks but this was her choice wasn't it? And it's not like she's deep underwater or that Kaldur would ever let do something that was dangerous to her health.

Opening her mouth, she says the words she just learned, and feels like she's shouting a little. Her mouth fills with the taste of salt and her breath leaves her slowly but not completely. She's not sure how this works, if her normal vocal chords can do what Atlantean vocal chords can. The words don't flow out of her with the ease they did with Kaldur but they leave her lips, bubble, and ripple in the water away from her. In front of her Kaldur grins and repeats what he said before _hello, Artemis_. Now that she can compared it to the muffled sounds of her own voice she can say his voice is much clearer. Her grin spreads wide on her face. She swims closer and curves a hand on his shoulder.

He looks at her, unsure, and blinks. One hand curls around her elbow. Artemis feels she has enough air to say the words again and does so. More carefully this time. More air leaves her.

Their faces are much closer than they were before. And she remembers the last time they were this close: Kent Nelson's house. Sweat had dripped from his brow then and he felt so heavy in her arms as she held them aloft.

It's completely different now.

He's a little hazy in front of her thanks to the water but solid. She hears _hello, Artemis_ again. This time the words sound slower and deeper and his other hand touches her hip bone. Everything in her heats and speeds up. The bikini's straps are thin on her hips and she can feel the whole of his palm against her skin. The membrane connecting his fingers is thin and tickles a little, but his palm is rough and calloused from fighting. Artemis knows her palms are the same as they fold over his shoulders.

She doesn't have it in her to say another word in Atlantean or English underwater and uses her empty breath to press her lips against his. Her feet stop their kicking.

Kaldur doesn't tense under her as water pushes her body up. What he does is: curve one hand around her neck and pulls her closer. Her hair tie loosens under his fingers and she feels new weight of it coming free around their faces. His lips open under hers and she almost thanks him as new air filters through her body even as his tongue licks his way into her mouth. She touches his neck lightly and feels his gills flutter against her fingers before she digs them into his shoulder. Pulling herself closer, she opens her mouth to press her tongue against his. Her other hand brushes his jaw and she's grateful that he's holding onto her because she feels the water pushing her to the surface.

When they move in the water her eyes snap open. She hadn't realised they closed.

She meets Kaldur's gaze and where it should be awkward it isn't. His thumb presses just under her ear and her lips suck slowly at his. She has new breath in her chest. Feeling him pull them to the surface, her body tenses; she doesn't want the air and wind, only the water.

Her relationship with water is completely a hundred percent restored.

Curling one leg around his thigh, she knocks their hips together, and cups his face kissing him hard. He stops their ascent for a beat. Then two. Three. His arms tighten around her as he kisses her back. She feels the vibration of his groan against her hands by his gills, and smiles as they surface.

Their eyes open again as the air brushes against their faces. The sun his behind her and plays with the planes of Kaldur's face. Artemis catalogues the weight of her hair, probably a mess, against her back, neck and shoulders. One of Kaldur's hand is still tangled in it. His other hand is tight around her waist, and hers are still pressed against the angle of his jaw. Their hips are flush together and the material of her bikini seems so so thin where it's presses against his chest and swim trunks.

His eyes are amazing, silver and light, and they never once leave hers.

Artemis grins.

"Hi, Kaldur," she says in English.

"Hello, Artemis." He smiles back.

Their legs remain twisted together.  



End file.
